By Danielle Tiu
MANILA – The Court of Appeals has sustained a lower court decision that effectively halts deportation proceedings against mining executive Joseph Cue Sy.
In a 15-page ruling dated Feb. 20 and released Wednesday, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the Taguig City Regional Trial Court questioning the legality of the deportation case filed against Sy, who chairs Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc..
Writing for the court, Associate Justice Carlito Calpatura said the deportation proceedings cannot move forward unless Sy’s birth certificate—indicating that he is a Filipino citizen—is first “cancelled or corrected.”
Sy was arrested in August last year after immigration authorities claimed that his fingerprints matched those of a Chinese national identified as Chen Zhong Zhen and alleged that he had illegally obtained Filipino citizenship.
The appellate court stressed that the burden of proof rests on those challenging the document’s validity. “It is not for Sy to prove its alleged falsity, but for the respondents-appellants who are assailing the certificate to prove it,” the ruling read, noting that a duly registered birth certificate enjoys the presumption of regularity under the law.
Earlier, several lawmakers had raised concerns over Sy’s expanding influence, citing lingering questions about his citizenship status.
Last year, the Philippine Coast Guard revoked Sy’s honorary rank as an auxiliary rear admiral.
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